Example embodiments of the inventive concepts relate to a semiconductor module on which semiconductor devices are mounted, a socket into which the semiconductor module is placed or inserted, and a semiconductor module/socket assembly.
As many electronic devices including semiconductor devices have been developed to have smaller sizes and operate at higher speeds, problems caused by heat generated in the semiconductor devices have become more severe.
A semiconductor module, for example, a memory semiconductor module, includes a plurality of memory semiconductor devices fixed, placed mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). If heat generated in the plurality of semiconductor devices is not efficiently dissipated, the semiconductor module may suffer performance degradation, damage or failure due to thermal fatigue. Accordingly, it is necessary to cool the semiconductor module. To this end, a heat sink for improving the cooling performance by increasing a heat transfer rate per unit volume is often used as a cooling device. In order to ensure higher thermal reliability, research on a type and material of the heat sink and research on a thermal interface material (TIM) to reduce a thermal contact resistance between the heat sink and the semiconductor devices have been conducted actively.
A great part of the heat generated in the semiconductor devices is transferred to the PCB on which the semiconductor devices are mounted. Accordingly, there is a limitation in improving the heat-dissipation efficiency by using only the heat sink that contacts the surfaces of the semiconductor devices.